AVENTURA, Fla. -- Troubled pitcher Scott Olsen of the
Florida Marlins was arrested early Saturday after refusing to pull
over and getting into a fight with police officers.
Olsen was booked into the Miami-Dade county jail on charges of
driving under the influence, resisting an officer with violence and
fleeing and eluding a police officer. He was released Saturday
afternoon on $11,000 bond.
It was the latest in a string of problems for the 23-year-old
left-hander, who returned to the Marlins on Friday night following
a two-game suspension without pay after a confrontation with
teammate and fellow pitcher Sergio Mitre. Olsen got the win in a
10-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.
The pitcher was at the stadium before the team's game Saturday
against the Reds but brushed off questions about the arrest.
"There's a legal process that has to be followed and we're
going to take all the necessary precautions and steps and let the
legal process pave the way. We're going to have to work on it, and
that's all I really have to say," Olsen told The Associated Press.
The Marlins also released a statement saying they would "let
the legal process run its course" before commenting further.
"As an organization, we take this very seriously and are
extremely disappointed," the statement read.
The Miami Herald reported that Marlins star Dontrelle Willis was
following Olsen in his own car Saturday, but was not involved and
no charges have been filed against him.
"He was not part of this," Police Lt. Michael Bentolila told
the newspaper. "He did not interfere with us. He was nothing but a
gentleman."
Willis was arrested Dec. 22 on a drunken driving charge. He has
pleaded not guilty.
Olsen received a black eye last season from his friend and
former teammate, reliever Randy Messenger, in an off-the-field
confrontation in St. Petersburg. Olsen also got into dugout
disputes with teammate Miguel Cabrera and then-manager Joe Girardi,
who grabbed him by the jersey during a discussion.
This year, Olsen was fined an unspecified amount in June for
making an obscene gesture toward fans in Milwaukee.
Bentolila said Olsen was arrested in the
Miami suburb of Aventura, where an officer clocked him driving 48
mph in a 35 mph zone and attempted to pull him over at about 3:40
a.m.
Olsen continued to drive about one mile, running a stop sign
before stopping at his Aventura home, Bentolila said.
The pitcher got out of his car and sat down on a plastic chair
in front of his home. When backup officers arrived and tried to
arrest him, Bentolila said Olsen kicked at the officers, who used a
stun gun on the 6-foot-5 pitcher.
Olsen then failed a field sobriety test and refused an alcohol
breath test, Bentolila said. A booking photo showed Olsen had two
scrapes on his forehead over his right eye.
Olsen will earn $380,000 this season, his third with the
Marlins.